As far as Rohan remembered, hunting took days to end which means they’ll still be here for a long while. Few newly awakened mostly go on hunting to get their ten percent and be able to leave and enter the Frontier Realm at free will.

...And currently, that was his aim.

But he just has to make sure to keep himself secluded as possible to avoid suspicion.

[You’ve killed an Uncommon Weak Beast, Red Soldier Ant]

[....+0.5% Gained]

Rohan drew out the Steelwind Sword from a large red ant, the size of a car with metallic plating and scowled.

It’s been two days already and his growth was extremely slow. At this rate, it would take him another week or two to get to 10%.

His growth would have been faster if he was hunting alone but with the other four around, it was hard to unleash his full might. Maybe... just maybe he can find a higher rank monster and manipulate the team into battling it.

’That should work.’

Then again, it might not. What were the chances that they’ll ever find such a creature and even if they did, it might just be too strong and end their lives in an instant.

’Well, I do have ten classes. Although they’re all still at Level One Skills. Ah, I shouldn’t get ahead of myself.’

Over the last two days, the group had established a steady but slow routine to survive and hunt within the foggy borders of the forest. After the intense battle with the Rampaging Ursine, they had spent the first afternoon resting inside a small stone cave that Dominion created by shaping the side of a cliff.

During that time, Priscilla used her ice magic to cool Barry’s bruised ribs and Eric’s cracked armor, which helped them recover enough to move again by the next morning. Once everyone could walk, they focused entirely on hunting smaller, less dangerous creatures like the Red Soldier Ants and stray Weak Beasts that traveled away from the deeper wild zones.

Since Barry and Dominion were still cautious from their near-death experience, the team acted with extreme care, always letting Barry scout ahead with his iron spear while Dominion kept her hands near the dirt to sense any sudden vibrations in the ground.

The main problem with this careful method was that it divided all the experience points equally among the five of them, which made Rohan’s progress feel incredibly slow. Every time they encountered a car-sized ant or a minor forest monster, Priscilla would freeze its legs with a basic spell, Eric would distract it using his speed rune, and Barry would deliver the final blow with a reinforced thrust.

Rohan purposely kept himself at the back during these fights, only striking when an insect got too close to the center or when he needed to pretend he was contributing to the team’s effort. He made sure to use his Shadow Linger ability very sparingly, only shifting his position slightly so that the others just thought he had good natural reflexes rather than a special hidden power.

By working this way, the team managed to kill over a dozen low-level monsters without taking any more serious injuries, but the small percentage chips they gained from each kill were barely enough to move the needle on their status bars.

As the second night approached, the physical toll of living in the damp, mist-covered frontier began to show on the rest of the team. Their clothes were constantly wet from the heavy air, and they had to take turns staying awake to watch the perimeter while the others slept on hard stone ground.

Eric was constantly looking over his shoulder, still worried about the rumors of missing hunters, while Barry spent his resting hours sharpening his iron spear with a flat stone to keep the tip from dulling against the metallic plates of the ants.

Rohan frowned. ’It was going to be sharp no matter what, it’s a magical weapon. Tsk.’

Priscilla remained mostly quiet, leading the group with cold efficiency but clearly growing frustrated with how long it was taking to gather enough points to return to Earth.

Rohan watched his companions grow tired and realized that their current safe strategy would keep them trapped in this forest for weeks, which forced him to start looking for a way to break the slow cycle.

He needed a plan and soon.

---

Morning came and the team was prepared to start moving again. Rohan who didn’t sleep all night, stretched and summoned his weapon back. They had a scrumptious meal made from the inner flesh of the ants and started their third day journey in the forest.

After walking a few steps they reached the part of the forest that looked like a swamp. The solid dirt paths they had been following for the last two days slowly dissolved into thick, black mud that smelled like rotten leaves and old water. Huge, twisted roots grew out of the ground like giant knees, and the gray mist hung so low that they could barely see past each other’s shoulders.

"Watch your step," Barry said in a quiet voice, holding his iron spear ready as his boots sank an inch into the wet slime. "The ground here is uneven, and it is easy to get stuck if you are not careful."

Dominion stepped up beside him and crouched down, placing one bare palm onto a dry patch of root. She closed her eyes for a moment to feel the vibrations through the earth. "The terrain ahead is very soft. There are large pools of deep water hidden right beneath the surface mud. If we walk into those, we will sink right up to our chests."

Priscilla looked around the dark swamp, her hand resting on the pommel of her black sword. The cold air radiating from her elemental affinity made the rising steam from the mud freeze into tiny, falling ice crystals. "We cannot turn back now. Going around this area would take us a full day, and we do not have enough food left for that. We move forward, but we stay close together."

Eric swallowed hard, his eyes scanning the murky water between the roots. "This place looks perfect for an ambush. If something jumps out from under the water, we won’t have room to dodge like we did in the open forest."

Rohan walked quietly at the very back of the line, his Steelwind Sword resting safely on his shoulder. While the others were focused entirely on where to place their feet, his eyes were fixed on the deep shadows stretching between the giant swamp trees. He could feel a strange, heavy pressure in the air that the others had not noticed yet. It was a familiar feeling, very similar to the weight he felt right before the Rampaging Ursine appeared on their first day.

’Something big lives here,’ Rohan thought to himself, a small grin threatening to form on his lips. ’A regular insect or a weak ant does not carry this kind of presence. This is exactly what I was waiting for.’

Rohan’s gaze drifted toward a patch of black water ahead. Something about it felt wrong.

"Barry," he called quietly.

"What?"

"Throw a stone over there. I thought I saw something move."

Barry frowned but bent down anyway, picking up a small stone.

"Probably just a fish."

He tossed it into the water and the stone landed with a soft splash.

For a moment, nothing happened, then the black water began to bubble violently.

A massive shape started to rise from the slime, its long body covered in wet, mossy scales that matched the color of the dark trees. Two huge, bulbous eyes broke the surface first, glowing with a sickly green light as they locked onto the group of five hunters.

[Standard Elite Beast]

The creature let out a low, wet hiss that caused the muddy water to ripple outward in large waves. Three long, snake-like necks fully emerged from the swamp, each head bearing rows of sharp, yellow teeth dripping with green venom.

"Three heads..." Eric whispered, his face turning completely pale as he took a step back. "That is an Elite rank beast!"

Barry gripped his spear tightly, his body tensing up. "We can’t fight this thing in the mud! We need to retreat back to the solid ground!"

"We can’t run!" Priscilla yelled, drawing her black sword as the cold magic flared around her. "It is already moving too fast! Prepare for battle!"

Rohan stood in the back, his eyes gleaming behind his calm face. This wasn’t exactly how he wanted to meet the beast but he was extremely lucky.

’Perfect.’